Feeling Small
by DEADxGONE
Summary: New students arrive in Konoha, and one particular redhead has Naruto's attention. But this redhead has a pained past and present problems...Can Naruto help the troubled teen? AU. GaaNaru.
1. Feeling Shaken

_****_

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, lyrics or songs in this fic.

_**This is a NarutoxGaara fanfiction. If you have problems with this, then don't read it. :)**_

"_I will not be shaken."_

* * *

It was an ordinary, early spring day in the town of Konoha; flowers were blooming, birds were singing, and school was back in session after a well-needed winter break. But this day something out of the ordinary was to happen. New students had arrived at _Feuille Secondary School_, and the rare divergence was sure to stir up a commotion in the small, peaceful community.

* * *

Kiba was engaged in a rather inapt discussion with Naruto about a supposed party the coming weekend. The two were known as the troublemakers of FSS, and many of their teachers chose to ignore the two's shenanigans in order to avoid more trouble than necessary. In fact, the ne'er-do-wells were so into their conversation about '_booze_' and '_chicks_' that they didn't even notice a new student walk in, or said student be introduced by their math teacher, Ms. Tsunade.

Unlucky for Naruto, Kiba asked if he wanted to go to the party _at the same time_ Ms. Tsunade asked the class for volunteers to show the new student around the school. And Naruto, being the over-enthusiastic person he was, shouted out "Of course I will!" in response to Kiba's question.

Tsunade, of course, knew her orange-clad student wasn't referring to _her_ question, but she figured it was a good way to obtain a bit of peace and normalcy to her classroom.

"Very well, then," the math teacher said, as she sat down in her desk and folded her hands under her chin. "Since you're so enthusiastic about it, Naruto, you can be our new student's guide."

_That_ got the boy's attention.

"Wait…what?" The blond teen slowly turned his head to the front of the classroom. Slight warmth spread over his cheeks; obvious embarrassment showing. But when his eyes met the front of the classroom, they landed on a rather unique looking redhead standing next to the teacher.

_Where did he come from?_

"O-Oh," he stuttered as realization finally struck in, painting his checks an even darker colour.

"Aw, man," Naruto whined and scrunched his face in displeasure. He ran his hand through the back of his yellow hair and gave a goofy chuckle. "Heh,"

Kiba laughed quietly to himself, in a _'sucks-to-be-you'_ type manner. Naruto sent a glare towards his dark-haired friend before turning to the teacher with a pleading look, his eyes saying, '_do I have to?_'

"You heard me," the woman's lips curved into a small smirk. "You have the rest of the class to show the new student around," Ms. T said in a stern voice.

"T-The rest of the class?" This had a grin forming on the teen's face.

"Hah, sweet!" The boy got up from his desk rather triumphantly and carelessly shoved his books in his bag. As Naruto started to the door, he looked back at his dark-haired friend, who was now less than amused that the blond got to ditch class because he was an idiot. Naruto simply stuck his tongue out at Kiba while he walked to rub the fact in even more.

_Haha, sucker. Have fun with the draggy hag!_

Ms. Tsunade was probably the most boring teacher in the school, and many teens would rather grate their faces with a cheese grater than listen to her for an hour and a half each day.

"Alright then, I'll see you tomorrow, Uzumaki," Tsunade gave the boy a threatening glare, "Don't do anything stupid."

The look made a chill run down Naruto's spine; _man, that woman is scary._

Naruto quickly brushed it off with a grin before giving the woman a nod.

"You got it," was all the grinning teen said before he and the new student walked out of the classroom.

As the two started down the hallway, the blond folded his hands behind his head and turned his gaze to the redhead; _he sure is a strange one_.

The teen had bright red hair, unlike any shade Naruto had seen before. He wore fitting black jeans with a hole in the left knee, a burgundy shirt, and a thin black sweater over top. He had a few piercings, his lip and ears from what Naruto could see, and what seemed to be a tattoo above his left eye. _His eyes…_ He wore dark makeup around his aquamarine-coloured eyes. _It's almost as if they don't have pupils…_

Naruto guessed the teen might be described as '_emo_' or '_goth_', but he wasn't one for labeling.

_Those eyes…I've never seen anything like them… _The blond quickly shook those thoughts from his head when he realized he'd been staring for some time. He quickly looked away, the redness returning to his face.

"So like, what's your name?" Naruto decided to detour his thoughts and ease the awkwardness by asking a question. "I didn't catch it when the old bat was talking. You tend to tune her out or you end up falling asleep or smashing your head on your desk repeatedly," the blond explained, and looked over to the other once again.

It seemed as though the other wasn't listening to Naruto, or even acknowledged his presence, because the redhead just stared ahead of them and kept walking.

"Gaara," the other replied just when Naruto opened his mouth to ask again, not bothering with the hassle or formality of a surname.

"Gaara, eh?" the blond mused, "That's a unique name; I've never heard it before." Naruto grinned. "Naruto Uzumaki, at your service, dattebayo!" the blond said, pointing to himself with his thumb. "So, where'ya from, Gaara?" he asked, replacing his hand comfortably behind his head while they walked through the empty hallway.

The redhead, again, didn't seem like he heard nor cared what his guide said.

_What's with this guy? _Naruto narrowed his gaze at the other teen in slight irritation.

After a few moments of silence, Gaara simply said "Suna, in Ventterre,"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, what?" the blond stopped walking and stared at the other in awe, the redhead stopping as well. "Ventterre, that's like, a million years away! Why'd you move all the way out here?"

The redhead simply shrugged as if it were no big deal and started walking again, his hands in his sweater pockets.

"Look, look, I didn't mean to freak out!" the blond called out to the other and ran towards whim. "It's just," Naruto sighed, and calmly said "We don't get many new people here, and especially not from places like Ventterre,"

The redhead scoffed, obviously irritated with the situation. "I don't need you to show me around, you know; I'm fine on my own," he spoke with an apathetic tone, almost emotionless.

"Tch, nonsense," the blond said as the two turned into an adjacent hallway. "The hag asked me to show you around, and so I will. Plus," the blond grinned slightly, back in bright spirits, "It's no fun being alone, especially if it's a place you've never been before."

The blond then pointed to a small flight of stairs that lead up to a set of doors. "That's the gym," he pointed to a set of descending stairs beside them, "Below it is the caf, it's rather disgusting down there, I prefer outside. The food isn't that great, but it'll get'ya through the day" he said, as they continued walking. "Over here is parenting, drama, tech, auto," the blond listed off the classrooms as they walked by, pointing to each one. "I don't really know what classes you're taking, but I figure—"

Just then the redhead pulled out a pair of headphones and placed them on his ears and reached into his pocket to turn on the music device.

"H-Hey!" the blond said, rather offended. "I'm supposed to be giving you a tour, here! It's really rude to listen to music when people are talking! Ever heard of manners?" the blond rebuked, nearly yelling. _God, it's like talking to a wall!_

"You're annoying," was all the redheaded teen said, but before Naruto could respond to him, Sasuke popped his head out of his classroom.

"Naruto? I thought that was you. What are you doing, shouldn't you be in class?" The raven-haired boy asked. "And who's he?" he said, gesturing slightly to the redhead.

"Eh? It's nothing, Sasuke. Just a new student is all, the hag asked me to show him'round" the blond said as he shrugged. "Shouldn't _you_ be doing work, slacker?" Naruto playfully scolded his friend, grinning wide.

"It's com-tech, idiot. All we do is watch Youtube and fuck around on the computers," the raven-haired boy smirked before slightly retreating back into the classroom. "Good luck with what's-his-face," he said, gesturing once again in the redhead's direction before closing the door completely.

"Huh, wha?" Naruto asked, before turning around to see the redhead had continued walking while he talked with his friend. "Hey! Wait up!" he called, running after the new student.

* * *

At the lunch bell, Naruto, Sasuke, Kiba and Shino all met up in their usual spot in the cafeteria, ordered their lunches, and headed outside to the tree they all hung out in. They were all glad it was finally spring and they didn't have to spend their only hour of freedom of the day confined in the dingy, stuffy hellhole they called a '_high school_'.

Once the boys were all situated in the tree, they started to unwrap their lunches and eat. Naruto took a deep, cleansing breath of the fresh spring air after taking a bite of his food and mumbled "Feels so nice to finally be outside," more or less to himself.

Kiba finally piped up about what happened second period. "So what happened to that _Gaara_ creep?" he asked. Naruto's face immediately scrunched up.

"Ugh. He's such an ass," he explained as he recalled the prior morning. "Ran off at the bell," Naruto sighed; he seemed to be doing that a lot today. "He doesn't talk, and if he does, he's only insulting you." The blond explained. "Frick, what's with that guy?"

"I don't know, but he seems to have a massive stick up his ass," Kiba replied, causing Shino to spray the chocolate milk he was drinking everywhere.

"Aw, Shino," Naruto made a disgusted face before wiping off what had sprayed on him. "Heh, yeah, pretty much," he snickered along in agreement. "But honestly, what's his problem?"

"You said he was from Ventterre, right? His parents probably forced him to move here against his will. He's probably just a little pissed off, and rightfully so." Sasuke added.

"I suppose so, but it still doesn't mean he has to be an ass 'bout it, 'ttebayo-!" the blond replied.

"Yeah, I don't know, he still gives me the creeps," Kiba said before shoving the rest of his lunch in his mouth and hopping down from the tree. "The hag said I had detention second half of lunch, something 'bout not paying attention in her class, but I dunno, I wasn't paying attention." He smirked before waving and walking away. "Later!" he called back as he entered the school

Naruto gave a yawn and stretched his back before jumping down as well. "I gotta go to the library, Iruka's nagging me on my history project that was due last week. I guess I should get it done."

"You think so?" Sasuke said sarcastically while rolling his eyes. "You gotta work on that, Naruto, they have due dates for a reason, you know."

"Psh, whatever," Naruto said, brushing it off with a wave of his hand. "I'll see y'all later. Bye!" The blond said as he waved and hurried off into the school.

"Some people…" Sasuke sighed and relaxed on his branch. He looked at Shino, who was happily letting a spider crawl across his hand.

* * *

_Well, I officially hate this school_, Gaara thought to himself with a sigh, sitting on a bench in the deserted hallway; students having gone outside or to mall across the street for lunch.

"Eh, it's not that bad," Kankuro replied, as if reading his younger brother's thoughts. He sat beside Gaara on the bench. "We moved here for Temari, remember?" As usual, the redhead gave no reply, so Kankuro just continued. "Besides, there are lots of hot chicks at this school," the senior said while laughing. Gaara sent his brother a hard glare, which immediately had the older teen freezing and look at his younger brother with slight fear.

Kankuro sighed, trying to ignore his brother's attempted mind-murder; he was used to it by now. "Look, Gaara, you're 16. Get with the program, already," the brunette said as he stood up and started to walk away. When all he got in reply was another glare boring into the back of his head, Kankuro shrugged. "Whatever, I got shit to do. See ya," he waved as he disappeared off into the hallway.

_Yes, I know we're here for Temari_, Gaara snorted through his nose at the thought. _Everyone at Sable Secondary knew to leave me alone, but here, _Gaara leaned back ion the bench, _here, I'm going to have to start all over again. I've already had three teachers bug me, and not to mention that Uzumaki kid, _Gaara's blood boiled at the thought of that asinine blond kid who bugged him all morning, _is anyone honestly that happy? I want to rip that stupid grin off his face. _Gaara took a deep breath and stood up, calming himself. He headed down the hall to where the moronic _'guide'_, (if you could even call him that, the blond went off in more tangents than a 12th grade trig. exam), showed him where the library was.

_Why couldn't she have waited until I graduated so I can live by myself in peace? Oh, right, that's 'two years of her future wasted'. God, whatever… _

* * *

After a quick detour, Naruto made his way to the library. He needed to type up his project, but when he went over to the computer section, he found them all occupied.

"Aw, fishsticks," he mumbled to himself. "Oh well, I guess Iruka's just gunna have to suck it. I tried my best, I really did..." The blond smiled to himself before walking over to a table and thunking down his books. The boy was soon to follow as he sat down in the chair next to the table with a similar '_thud'_. Naruto sighed. At least he could say he _tried_ to wait for a computer..._Heh._

Saying Naruto was bad at sitting still was an understatement. The blond started to tap his fingers, bounce his legs and biting his lip. _Aw, man, I gotta do something, _the hyperactive teen said to himself. His eyes searched the seemingly empty (except for the computers, of course) library and stopped on a red tuff of hair at the back of the room. The boy smiled. _At least there's something I can do_, he thought, as he chuckled to himself, _bug the newbie..._

* * *

_**A/N: Well, well. The first chapter of my first fanfic. Yay me, it only took me, oh, what, 2 weeks? Pfft. I don't write, even though I'd love to, because of the 4P's. One: Procrastination. I am a huge procrastinator. No matter what, I always have a million-and-one other things to do at any given time. Two: Persistence. I never follow through on anything, I usually never see things through to the end. Three: Perfectionism. Along with my procrastination, my perfectionism eats away at my time. I re-read, re-do, and re-edit my work so many times it would make a monk want to punch me. And four: Patience. I have the attention span of a 3-year-old, and I tend to—Oh, look, a butterfly! runs after**_

_**Er, I really don't know when the next chapter will be up, but yeah. Hope you like.**_

_**Laterz.**_

_**,DEAD**_


	2. Feeling Disconnected

**_Disclaimer: See chapter 1. :)_**

"_I'd rather be alone…"_

_

* * *

_The blond walked over to the new student, who was sitting and reading a book with his feet propped up on a nearby shelf.

"So this is where you ran off to at the bell," a grin crept onto his face, "What'chya reading?"

Gaara completely ignored the question and continued to read, wanting the other to leave.

_What's with this guy? _Naruto thought, but yet was completely unfazed (if not ignorant) about the redhead's obvious want to be left alone. His grin only wavered a moment before he sat down next to the alien teen, propping his feet up much in the same way the other had.

"Why are you in here for lunch?" Naruto questioned. "I mean, there are tons of other places to go, like the mall, or the caf, or outside..." he trailed off, looking around the stacks of books and rows of computers, "The library's so—"

"Quiet," the redhead finished, closing his book and getting up from his seat. He hoped the other student would get the hint as he brushed past the boy, knocking his legs off the shelf so he could leave.

Feeling a little irritated at the rudeness of the other teen, Naruto got up as well and finally voiced the question he'd been asking himself all morning.

"What the heck is your problem?" The blond scrunched his face in annoyance.

The redhead stopped walking, but did not look back. "My problem?" he coolly echoed. Turning his head slightly to the other teen, he answered, "People like you."

Icy aquamarine eyes glared at the blond for a moment before the new student left the library.

The look the other gave Naruto had him frozen in place.

_His eyes…_

When the blond finally opened his mouth to call out to the other teen, the bell rang signaling the end of lunch. Instead, a sigh was all that left his lips. The redhead was already out of sight, anyway.

_That guy is wayyy more scary than Tsunade can be,_ the blond thought, collecting his books and heading off to 3rd period.

* * *

Gaara was just getting to the locker he was given when hoards of students filed in from their various lunch activities. Newly acquired textbooks were placed inside the metal box, not needed for the rest of the day. The door was swung shut, and the redhead went to his class; avoiding as many people as he could in the crowded hallways.

The bell signaling class had officially started caused the few teens that were still in the hallways to rush off to their classrooms, hoping they would not be considered late or truant.

* * *

Third period was very uneventful for Naruto; science was not his forte, and his teacher, Ms. Yuhi, didn't make things better. The usually loud and over-exuberant blond was lost in his own world, staring out the window and not paying attention to the lesson at hand.

The teen had been in mid-thought when the teacher called his name.

"Naruto?" the dark-haired teacher asked, walking over to her student.

The bemused blond finally tore his gaze away from the outside world. "Eh, what?"

The woman sighed. "Naruto, this will be on the unit test next week, all I ask is that you at least _pretend _to pay attention."

Muffled laughter filled the room as the teacher resumed her lesson on plant ecology.

_Yeah, yeah, _Naruto yawned, _plants just aren't my thing, lady…_He glanced over to the clock on the wall. _Only 10 more minutes…_

* * *

Once class had finally ended, Naruto made his way down to his last period class; History. _Oh, great…Another hour and a half of Iruka ragging on me. _He groaned inwardly.

Opening the door to his history classroom, he noticed he was one of the first ones there. _Figures…_ Looking across the room to Iruka's desk, he saw none other than the new student, Gaara, being handed papers and other such items needed for class.

"Juuust great," the blond mumbled to himself. "Him again…"

Naruto really just wanted to home and rest; the events of the day were taking a toll on him. Who knew such a simple thing like a new student could shake up your world so much?

With a sigh, the boy plopped down into his desk, but before the blond could get a moment's piece, Iruka was in front of him.

"Did you get the work done like I asked you, Naruto?"

"I couldn't!" the boy nearly yelled. Iruka sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to gain some composure.

"What was it this time?" It was frustrating. Iruka knew the boy had the capabilities, but he lacked in the effort department. He let out another sigh. "You know you're failing, Naruto. I know you can do the work, but if you just put in—"

"Hey, hey!" Iruka was interrupted. "I went to the library at lunch today. I was gonna do it! I swear! But all the computers were being used!" the blond defended. This had Iruka rubbing his forehead.

The teacher gave another sigh, "Naruto, you don't want to be back here in the summer. I guarantee that." He straightened himself. "Now I have a class to teach." He started towards the front of the classroom, "No more excuses. Just, Get. It. Done." He gave one last warning glare to the boy, and grabbed the attendance list. Marking down who was absent and who was not, he mumbled "Great turnout as always…" while eyeing over the many empty desks.

* * *

Much to Naruto's surprise, not only did he have last period with the new student, but the mysterious redhead actually took the same bus home.

_Hmm, must live__ near me, _Naruto mulled, the redhead getting off at the same stop with him and a few other people. The blond noticed that the newcomer turned down the street next to his. _Funny, I don't remember anyone moving in…_

That thought aside, Naruto dug into his bag and pulled out his house key. With a turn of the wrist, he let himself inside.

"Oi, gramps, I'm home!" he called.

"Naruto," Sarutobi smiled at the boy, voice cracked with age. "How was your day?"

The blond rubbed the back of his head, "Ehh, had better…" he said with a shrug.

"Hey, Naruto!" a blur of yellow and green materialized in front of the teen.

"Konohamaru," Naruto stretched and smiled, giving a slight nod. "What's up?"

"Just going to chill with Udon and Moegi," he ran past the teen. "Later!" He called back, before vanishing out the door.

Naruto smirked to himself before yawning again. "Hey, gramps, I'm kinda tired, call me down when supper is ready,"

Sarutobi just nodded, and with that, the boy headed up to his room.

* * *

"Hey Gaara," Temari said as the teen walked in the door. The redhead just walked up the stairs, acting as if the other didn't even exist.

The elder blonde just sighed, looking down at the tea she was drinking.

"Is he always like that?" a man in a dark ponytail lazily asked.

Temari shook her head, "Yeah…"

"It's okay; I don't have to meet him now. I'll meet him when he's ready."

"Thanks, Shikamaru," the blonde smiled at the other, grateful he understood.

* * *

Gaara went straight for the room that had been deemed his. Most of their furniture hadn't arrived yet; it was sent on a train because it was cheaper and easier, and it wouldn't arrive for a few days.

Taking a deep breath through his nose, the redhead placed his bag on a box that had yet to be unpacked. Gaara was never one for change, and moving halfway across the continent was about as big a change as you could get.

Looking around the nearly empty room, his eyes fell onto his window. The redhead walked over to it and studied it for a moment. Pale hands reached up, carefully sliding up the glass pane. Making sure the window wouldn't slide down on him, he climbed onto a small part of roof that jutted out, before climbing up to the main part of the roof.

Lying on his back, he placed his arms behind his head. Aquamarine eyes moved across the late afternoon sky.

_The sky is clearer here than in Suna, _he thought, his mind going off in many tangents as he watched the clouds roll by.

* * *

_**A/N: Woo! Chapter 2, finally! I thought I'd take some time to explain my thought patterns a bit. :) This fic, and each chapter, is inspired by a song. The first chapter's song was "Shaken" by S**__**hiny Toy Guns, and this chapter is "Don't Tell Me" by Social Code. The songs don't fit as well as I'd like them to, but I was having trouble finding songs for the fist few chapters. The little quotey thingies at the beginning of the chapters are lyrics from the songs... **_

_**Anyway, I'll try to update weekly, preferably every Sunday, and I'm sorry if I don't. I'm my own worst enemy, and I let my procrastination get the better of me. X.x**_

_**Until then,**_

_**,DEAD**_


	3. Feeling Pushed

"_All the pieces used to fit…"_

* * *

Aquamarine and red; these colours danced and swirled throughout the blond's subconscious mind. He crashed on his bed and fell asleep shortly after getting home from school; exhausted from what had felt like a very long day.

"Naruto," a voice called, but it was a cry on deaf ears. The blond was deep in sleep.

So, the name was repeated. Very loudly. Into his ear.

Naruto woke up with a start, falling part-way off the bed and tangling himself in his sheets in the process. He rubbed his eyes briefly—hoping it would help his dazed state of mind, before finally focusing on what had caused him such a rude awakening.

"Konohamaru?" He blinked, looking over to his window. The younger boy was perched on the sill of the open window with a silly grin on his face. "What the hell are you doing at my window!?" Naruto asked; more annoyed than angry.

The younger boy let out a nervous laugh; he really didn't mean upset Naruto. So, he tried to explain just _why_ he was using the window instead of the door, like any _normal _human-being would. "Udon and Moegi went home for dinner, and I was bored."

"So you climbed the house!?" The blond retorted, still not amused at the situation.

"Yeeeap," The boy kneaded his fingers together and looked away slightly. "Oh, and," he continued anxiously, remembering another reason why he was up there. He turned his head to the house residing behind theirs. "I saw somethin' over there," he said, pointing to the roof of the house. "Wanted a better look,"

Naruto's eyes followed the pointed finger, and landed on a person lying on the roof.

"Musta got new neighbours, 'cause I ain't seen him before,"

Sparking the blond's attention, he got up to get a closer look at the boy on the roof.

Red. Red was the first colour Naruto could see. Next was black. Red hair and black clothing.

"Gaara?" he muttered to himself, no quite believing what his eyes were telling him.

"Whatssat, Naruto? You know that guy?"

"I think I do, I mean, I don't know…" He wracked his brain for any other explanation, or person, that clould be. "Wait…"

He remembered that the new student lived around him, after all, they _did_ get off at the same bus stop. But the house directly behind his? What were the chances?

_Just my luck… _Naruto rolled his eyes at the thought. Groaning, he slammed his face back into his pillow. He didn't really like what had taken place that day, but it seemed he would be seeing a lot more of the _newbie _than he'd expected.

"Eh, whatever," Konohamaru quickly shrugged it off. The attention span of kids today sure rivaled that of a gnat. "Gramps says dinners' ready and to come down," he said, descending down the house. His foot slipped on a piece of siding and he fell none-to-gracefully the rest of the way down. All Naruto could do was let out a muffled laugh at the series of 'ow's Konohamaru let out before heading inside for dinner.

Naruto let out a sigh before sitting back up in his bed and taking another look at his new neighbour.

_There's something with that guy…_

With that thought, Naruto got up and headed downstairs for dinner.

* * *

The class simultaneously groaned at the word—or acronym really—that Iruka had written on the board.

**_I.S.P._**

"That's right, it's that time again," the teacher grinned. Did they like the suffering of students or something?

All that was heard was another groan from the students.

"This year, the I.S.P. is going to be a little bit different," Iruka continued, "Rather than an _independent _study project, you will be in groups. Let's see…" he skimmed over the attendance sheet he had just finished marking, "Since there are…_supposed_ to be 18 in this class, I'll have you in groups of 3." Glaring lightly at some of the students, somehow knowing exactly what was on thier minds, he added "I chose the groups,"

Ignoring the obvious demur of students, Iruka cleared his throat and resumed his lecture. "Now, since this is World History of the 20th Century, each group will be assigned a country, and is to create a presentation of its various fads, fashions, music, cultures, foods, and other relevant information from a decade of your choice. The rubric will have all the _required_ information, but how much you do is up to you."

Murmurs of displeasure floated around the room.

"_Oh, man. This sucks, dude._"

"_Yeah, I know, I hate presentations!_"

"Marks will be individual, considering this is an I.S.P. But," Iruka said in a strong voice to get the students' attention. He looked around the room a moment while the murmurs subsided. "You will be marked by your fellow classmates."

As expected, this caused an uproar with the students.

"_WHAT?_"

"_Are you CRAZY, teach?_"

"_I think he's finally lost his marbles…_"

"Okay, okay, enough," Iruka said, calming the class down, "But that's correct, you are marked by the class. I have no say whatsoever. Although, your presentations may include food, dancing, music, videos…Anything goes, as long as it's appropriate. And don't forget, this is worth 15 percent of your final mark."

Yet again, groans from unhappy students filled the room.

Grinning smugly to himself, Iruka picked up the attendance sheet with the names of all the students. "Now, for the groups…" he glanced over the sheet a moment before addressing the class, "There are 18 people in this class, so that makes for 6 groups..." He looked thoughtfully around the room a moment, "Though, since attendance is poor, some groups might be minus a member."

Clearing is through again, Iruka called out students in a seemingly random order.

"Joshu, Burukku, and Mandi, your country is Germany. Patto, Heza and Haku, you have China. Jori, Naruto, and, the new student, Gaara—"

"HIM!" Naruto called out, jumping up from his desk and pointing at the new student, "Why Him!?"

The redheaded student just sat at the back of the class, wearing an emotionless expression on his face. He didn't seem phased by Naruto's outburst at all. In fact, he pretty much ignored everyone in the class.

"Naruto, don't argue. It's 15 percent of your mark, your failing as it is."

"But—"

"Don't, Naruto," Iruka sounded more of a parent scolding their child rather than a teacher.

Defeated, the blond collapsed in his desk, head falling onto folded arms. "Why me?" he whined into his notebook.

"…Naruto, Jori and Gaara, your country is Canada…" Iruka picked up where he left off, naming groups of students and countries while marking down his selections.

Handing out the rubric as promised, Iruka glanced at the clock on the wall. "Now then, this is due the first week of February. Presentation dates will be chosen at random. There will be one a day starting Monday the 4th, and since there are 6 presentations, one lucky group will have an extra week and present the following Monday."

Hushed whispers of both pleasure and jealousy discussed the selections for the I.S.P.

"_Aww, man. I got the US. I wanted Russia..._"

"_I got Japan, sweet!_"

"_You're so lucky..."_

Iruka let the class mingle a few minutes to discuss and plan, but class was almost over and he needed to finish up. "As I'm sure you all realized; presentation dates are nearly a month away. This means you will get next to no class time for this. It will have to be done on your own time at lunch or after school. No excuses."

The bell rang at that moment and the sounds of indignant students were drowned out in the noise of hundreds of students glad to be going home for the day.

* * *

**_x.x_**

**_I'm terribly sorry for the terribly late update. I went away to a P!ATD concert and and Anime convention, and got caught up in exams and art projects. But the good news is no more school until autumn :)_**

**_I really hate it when procrastination gets the better of me. u.u_**

**_The song for this chapter is Push by Marianas Trench. :D _**

**_It's kind of boring-ish right now, but in the next chapter, Feeling Blamed, there's gunna be lots of flashback-angsty-past stuff. Always fun._**

_**Later, (and hopefully not TOO later x.x)**_

**_,DEAD_**


	4. Feeling Blamed

_"I just don't want to hear it any more..."_

* * *

Gaara entered his house through the front door and immediately went upstairs much like the prior day. He could hear Temari and Kankurou having a heated discussion in the kitchen, but he paid no mind and closed himself in his room. The irksome blond had caught up with Gaara on the bus and suggested that they put the prior day's events in the past, and that Naruto should come over after school and they could start working on their project. After all, it _was _15 percent of their mark. At least Naruto and Gaara were on the same page about that; get it over and done with as soon as possible, so they wouldn't have to deal with eachother any more than necessary.

After they had got off the bus, Naruto said he'd be over in a little bit. He had to go home first or something like that, Gaara wasn't paying much attention. Although the thought hadn't occurred to him at the time, he should have wondered how the other teen knew where he lived.

* * *

"So HE'S the reason we moved out here?"

"Yeah, so? What's it to you?"

"We packed our shit and moved KILOMETRES away from our schools and friends, just for a GUY?" Kankurou was furious. "Where the hell did you meet this guy, anyway?"

The question caught Temari off guard, causing her to laugh nervously under her breath. She knew it would have been brought up sooner or later, but it still was just slightly embarrassing. "Uh, well, you know that game Gaara and I play?"

"YOU MET HIM ONLINE?" He threw his hands up in the air in disbelief. "Of ALL the places you could meet a guy," Kankurou took a breath trying to calm himself down, putting his hands on his hips. He knew from experience getting angry rarely helped a situation. "He could have been a total **_creep_**, Temari," he said, adding a slight bit of venom to his words. "We could have mo—"

"WELL HE'S NOT!" Temari said defensively; she was the one getting angry now. "He's a great guy! Incredibly lazy, sure, but that's not important! And it's not like I went into this totally blind, y'know?"

"Yeah, yeah," was all the burnet teen could muster up in response and walked over to the fridge to get a drink. It was a lost cause now; what's done is done. He knew they were in Lueterre for Temari, and she had control of the money and everything else, himself included, until he turned 19.

"—we talked on the phone and shit, too," Kankurou only caught the tail end of what his sister was saying; he was too preoccupied on his stomach right now. But before much else could be said, a knock was heard at the door.

Temari looked at her brother and raised an eyebrow, "I thought you said the movers would be here at 5?"

Kankurou just shrugged as a response and took a swig of the root beer he'd gotten from the fridge.  
Temari stood up and answered the front door, expecting to find large men and furniture, but instead found a blond teen sporting a rather kitsune-like grin.

"May I help you?" she questioned, wondering if the unexpected visitor had gotten a wrong address or something.

"Uh, hi! I'm Uzumaki Naruto," he proudly spouted, kitsune-grin still painted on his face, "is Gaara home?"

"_Gaara_?" She echoed. She wasn't sure if she heard the visitor right. _Since when did Gaara get visitors? _She blinked a few times in shock, before she stepped aside to allow him into the house.  
"Uh, yeah, come on in. He's upstairs right now," she said, closing the door behind the teen. "But he—Oh, never mind," she corrected, noticing said redhead at the top of the stairs, "There he is,"

"Oi, Gaara," the blond greeted coyly, as he removed his shoes and put them to the side. He had no idea why he suddenly felt so uncomfortable, but shrugged it off as just being in a stranger's home.

Gaara looked at the blond teen for a moment, wondering what brought about his strange change in behaviour. Wasn't he an obnoxious, loud-mouthed idiot? Then again, he didn't really care. He discarded those thoughts and turned around, disapearing back up to the second floor.

"Uh, Gaara?" a slightly confused Naruto called at the other's furtiveness, but was interrupted by a taller burnet.

"You thirsty?"

"Uh, sure?" Naruto said, not really sounding sure of himself at all. He gave a suspicious gaze to the other. _Where did he come from?_

With a smug nod, the older male opened the fridge he was standing in front of.

"Cola good?" he asked, but didn't wait for an answer as he tossed a can of the beverage Naruto's way. Naruto caught it with ease.

"Thanks," the blond said, flashing one of his world-renowned grins. He popped the tab and took a swing.

The older teen just shrugged as it was no big deal, and walked—to what Naruto assumed—was the dining room, leaving the blond standing in the hallway by himself for a short while.

* * *

"Let's go," a voice said directly behind Naruto's ear, causing him to choke on the drink of cola he just took. _Whoa,_ he hadn't even noticed Gaara was behind him.

"You—" _cough, _"—Scared me," _cough, cough._

The redhead looked at the other as if he had 6 heads before turning and continuing down the hall, laptop in hand.

Naruto glared at the other teen's back and followed—after he got his breathing under control, of course.  
_Not even a 'sorry', or 'are you okay?'…Honestly, what's with him? Ugh, _he thought, frustrated.

As Gaara set his laptop on the table, plugged it in and tapped a few keys, Naruto got to take a look at the very large, and desolate, house.

"Empty, ne?" the blonde woman who answered the door questioned, seemingly popping out of nowhere. Was it just Naruto, or did these people seem more surreptitious than the average folk? He nodded idly to what the woman said.

"The movers will be here in a few hours," she finished, albeit vaguely, and headed toward a door in the main hall. "I'm Temari, by the way. Gaara's older sister," she said disheartedly with a slight wave, before disappearing into a room and shutting the door.

* * *

Naruto let out a yawn. He and Gaara decided on a decade and had been doing research and gathering info on his laptop for a while now, and frankly, it was about all Naruto's attention span—or lack there of—could take.

"What about the other member?" Gaara finally questioned. It had been on his mind since the assignment had been given.

"Hn?" was all the blond responded with, unsure of what it was he was asking. He rested his head in his hands and put his elbows on the table for support. He was almost falling asleep he was so bored.

"The other member," Gaara explained as he rubbed his temples with his hands, trying to relieve the pressure, "There are supposed to be three of us, correct?" Naruto's care-free attitude vexed him in more ways than you could know. _Could anyone honestly be that happy and laid-back?_

"OH," the ignorant teen called out when he finally got what the other was asking. "That Jori kid, righttt," Naruto had nearly forgotten about him. "I think he's on vacation, I don't know, heard he's not s'posed to be back for a while," he answered with a shrug. "Just you and me I guess,"

With a nod and a sigh, Gaara closed his laptop. He, too, had reached his limits on studying for the moment. Glancing over at the clock, it read 4:53; the movers would be there soon.

When the redhead turned his attention back to his houseguest, he noticed the blond staring at him with great interest. Gaara furrowed his brows at the others' peculiar behaviour.

"What's with that tattoo? Why so many piercings? Did they hurt? Is that why you got'em?" Naruto resisted the urge to poke at them.

Well, that was random.

Gaara's hand instinctively moved to the mark above his left eye. "It's not a tattoo," he said coolly, "And it's none of your business,"

"Not a tattoo? Then what is it, Dattebayo?!" the blond asked, not ceasing his bombardment of questions.

"Scarification," he simply stated, his eye visibly twitching at the other's incessant questioning, "And it's really none of you bussin—"

Just then, a knock at the door was heard. Gaara got up to answer it, knowing who it was, and was grateful they came when they did. He was starting to lose his cool, and that was something best avoided.

Soon after the door was opened, the house was a flurry of furniture and men asking _'where can I put this?',_ _'which room?'_ and _'sign here, ma'am'_.

The woman known as Temari and the teen that had given Naruto the soda were almost instantly there to aid the movers. Though, after opening the door, Gaara left the duties to the other two, and went back to his laptop.

But there was still a question burning in Naruto's mind.

"Scara-whooda-whadda-tadda?" he asked the redhead, who seemed to be busy typing something on his laptop.

Gaara closed his eyes, cursing himself inwardly. He really didn't care much for the blond teen, but he knew that if the presentation—worth a _hefty_ chunk of grades, by the way—had _any_ chance of success, he would at least have to be hospitable…As disgusting as that thought sounded.

Gaara opened his eyes and gave the other teen a slightly resolved glare, before typing in a few keys and turning the laptop to face the blond. _If we're to do this, we can't be at each other's throats, as much as I'd like to rip out his…_

Naruto's first thought when he looked over the article the other had pulled up—complete with a few more-than-graphic photos—was confusion, then shock, then disgust. Gaara thought it was slightly amusing how those emotions danced over the other's face in just the few short moments as he read the article. He was used to those reactions by now.

"No, more, questions," Gaara added after he took the laptop back from the other and started typing again. The way he had said it, so coolly and with such finality, gave Naruto a slight shiver down his spine. All he could do was stare wide-eyed at the redhead for the time being. _There is definitely something with this guy…_

Naruto was brought out of this trance by a strained noise to his right. He turned to see Temari and the other teen struggling to move a, very large, very heavy, flat-screen T.V.

"A little help here, Ga—" but before she could finish his name, Naruto leapt up.

"That thing is HUGE," he said in awe before rushing over to the two. "Here, lemme help,"

Gaara just looked over to the others. He didn't bother getting up; from the looks of it, they had it covered.

_Movers gone already? Well, they were more like delivery men... _He mused to himself before returning his attention to his laptop.

After a few minutes of straining and groaning, the trio got the 65" Plasma T.V. into its new spot in the living room.

With a sigh, Temari dusted off her hands on her jeans. "I'm going to start dinner now, we can unpack the rest later," she looked over to the blond admiring the T.V. The thing was almost as tall as him. "Thanks for the help, Naruto. Would you like to stay for dinner?"

"I'll stay for dinner, sure" he grinned, "And it was no problem, really," he added, resting his hands behind his head.

Temari smirked and headed back into the kitchen to start dinner. Though, not before landing a worried gaze on her youngest sibling, who was still at the table on his laptop.

"Wanna help me set up the surround-sound?" she heard Kankurou ask the blond.

"Yeah…Sure, why not?"

* * *

It seemed neither boy knew much about electronics, considering it took them about as long as Temari took to make dinner before finally getting it hooked up properly. The blonde woman could have sworn she heard one of them get tangled up in the wires and nearly take out a stack of unpacked boxes.

She had just put the food on the table while the two were standing in front of the T.V., 'admiring their work'.

"Now that's what I call a T.V."

"Mmh,"

"Alright, guys, dinners' ready," Temari called while she rolled her eyes. _It must be a 'guy thing' to admire electronics, _she thought with a scoff.

The two sat down and joined her and Gaara, who had put away his laptop in favour of the meal in front of him.

* * *

The four exchanged regular mealtime chatter, save for Gaara, who's only responses were little more than one word or acknowledging noises.

...Naruto noticed that the redhead didn't eat much of what he was given, but rather pushed it around on his plate until it was time to clean up.

By the time the meal was finished, it had gotten pretty late out.

* * *

"You're an interesting guy, I like you,"**(x)** Kankurou said to the blond as he saw him to the door.

"Hey, you're pretty cool, yourself," Naruto said with a grin as he put his shoes on. "See ya!" he waved, and headed down the street toward his house.

Gaara felt tired that night; more exhausted than he had felt in along while. That pesky blond seemed to drain all the energy he had. And after Naruto had left, Gaara almost instantly went upstairs and fell asleep. Something the teen was not accustomed too.

_

* * *

_

Gaara was sitting on the edge of the pool deck, his feet dangling in. He kicked lightly at the cool water as he looked down at the valley of Suna. His house had the best view in the whole desert...  
The sun had just set across Ventterre, and the stars were slowly becoming visible, one by one. He took in a deep breath and hummed lightly to himself.

_He was six, yet he didn't know how to swim. He hoped his father could teach him, but it seemed like his dad was almost never home. Since the days were becoming cooler and shorter, he was going to ask his uncle to teach him tomorrow.  
He smiled when he thought of his uncle. He was one of the only people who actually cared about him, and wasn't paid or forced to like the rest. He loved his uncle dearly._

_Just then, Gaara heard a glass break behind him. He turned his head quickly to the source of the noise.  
"Uncle?" he asked timidly, seeing said person leaning against a deck chair, "Are you okay?"_

_"FUCK, yesh, I'm FINE,"_

_"A-are you sure?" he questioned, not believing him. "Do y—"_

_"SHUT UP!" his uncled yelled at him, "Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! You shtupid little BRAT!" he flailed his arms in in anger, almost falling over in the process._

_Gaara stood up, eyes wide and watery. "Un-uncle—I-I—" he wimpered._

_"DON'T YOU DARE 'UNCLE' ME!" he yelled as he took a step towards the young redhead. "IT'SH ALL YOUR FAULT!" he roared, "SHE DIDN'T EVEN WANT YOU! NO ONE WANTED YOU! SHE SHOULD BE ALIVE, NOT YOU! YOU SHOULD BE DEAD! YOU!"_

_Gaara was in tears now. "Bu-Nn-Wh-Wh-" was all he could muster out between sobs. He fell down onto his knees and placed his arms around his head, naïvely hoping it would protect him from the harsh words his uncle had just spoken._

_"SHTOP IT! SHTOP CRYING!" he yelled out in his drunken rage as he charged towards the redhead._

_What happened next was a blur, literally. Gaara slowly removed his arms from his head and opened his eyes when he heard a splash behind him. His sobs had slowed down and he was nearly holding his breath as he looked over to the pool; scared if he made a noise his uncle would yell again. But what he saw was not his uncle about to strike him, or yell some more...No._

_He saw his uncle, face down in the pool._

_Red liquid diffused and danced with water, slowly swirling from his uncle's prone and unmoving body._

_Gaara ran._

* * *

_**(x): Kankurou says that to Naruto in the anime. XD I wanted to put it in here for no reason whatsoever.**_

**_A/N: Wow. Took friggen long enough. I'm, like, sorry times a gajillion. This chapter has been like, 94.67 percent done for over a month. Just never got around to finishing. x.x But uww, loook! Foreshadowing! (Doubt many people will catch it though, I'm ninja like that) And horrible events of yesteryear! Song is Let it Die by Three Days Grace.  
On a brighter note, I'm co-writing an AkuRoku fanfic with my sister, Mandi. It shall be good. If we ever write it. XD_**

**_,DEAD_**


End file.
